Local News

HILLSVILLE — A motion relating to the natural gas service line approved Feb. 4 by the Carroll Industrial Authority gives a hint to the new utility’s future.
The IDA took action in 2012 to provide natural gas service to the Mohawk plant after years of inaction by private companies, and now the effort only lacks about 3,000 linear feet from making that connection.

HILLSVILLE — Though a figure of $10 million in delinquent real estate taxes yet to be paid to Carroll County has been tossed around recently, the treasurer puts the actual amount at less than a fifth of that.
Localities can go after taxes for 20 years before writing them off.
During the last two decades, Carroll Treasurer Bonita Williams calculates that of the approximately $162.9 million in real estate taxes owed, the county has collected more than $160.9 million.

RICHMOND — The Republican speaker of the House of Delegates quelled a partisan firestorm over a controversial Senate redistricting scheme last week, making a procedural ruling that killed the GOP-engineered plan without a vote.

Virginia petroleum dealers support gas tax increase
As Virginia legislators struggle to agree on a fix for the state’s chronic transportation funding problems, a trade association for petroleum dealers is taking a stand in the debate.
It wants the General Assembly to raise the gasoline tax.

HILLSVILLE — Reduction in real estate values after reassessment and the resulting decrease in tax revenues will create challenges for Carroll County officials for fiscal year 2013-2014, they discussed at a budget committee meeting Tuesday.
The recent reassessment reflected a drop in Carroll real estate values of nearly $277.7 million, County Administrator Gary Larrowe noted in the preliminary budget talks on Feb. 5. That could cause tax revenue to decrease as much as $1.65 million.

RICHMOND — Gov. Bob McDonnell’s transportation funding plan hit a pothole in the Capitol on Tuesday, failing to win support in the politically divided state Senate.
McDonnell’s plan and two Republican-sponsored alternatives were defeated in the Senate, hours after the House of Delegates narrowly approved a revised version of the governor’s bill. The House bill will be sent to the Senate, where McDonnell and his allies have their work cut out for them trying to keep the legislation alive.

RICHMOND — A Senator’s attempt to reach a compromise on gun show background checks was shot down by a Senate committee, taking fire from members in both parties.
By a vote of 11-3, the Senate Courts of Justice Committee killed Sen. John Edwards’ last-ditch effort to settle a long-running debate over the so-called “gun show loophole,” which allows private sellers at gun shows to sell firearms without a criminal records check on the buyer.

RICHMOND — On a party line vote, the Virginia Senate has killed legislation that would require local social services agencies to screen welfare recipients for possible drug use and subject some to drug tests.
Senate Bill 721 is sponsored by Sen. Bill Carrico (R-Grayson County).
The bill died on a 20-19 vote, with all of the Senate’s Democrats opposing it. One Republican senator was not present for the vote in the evenly split Senate.

By SHAINA STOCKTON
Staff
Imagine the anticipation and nervousness that Galax Fire Chief David Hankley felt when he first saw the e-mail from FEMA in his inbox.
After a month of hard work put into writing a grant that would help assist the department in getting replacements for outdated equipment, it call came down to one click of the mouse.

Key committees in the General Assembly have advanced proposed revisions to Virginia’s two-year budget that include opening a mothballed state prison in Grayson County.
The original request called for opening the prison by 2014, but a House of Delegates committee wants it to be operational later this year.
Republican-controlled budget committees from the Senate and House of Delegates produced plans on Feb. 3 that build upon Gov. Bob McDonnell’s amendments to the state’s two-year, $86.5 billion budget.